The real estate boom in Vancouver has led to a boost in the printing industry which was not experiencing any real surge in customers otherwise.
One may wonder what the real estate boom has to do with printing. Indeed, they are two different niches, and how does the former affect the latter?
The answer is in the glossy printed brochures with beautiful photographs that real estate promoters hand out to prospective customers. A study commissioned by the Canadian Real Estate Association found that between 2012 and 2014, the B.C. resale housing market alone created 33,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Earlier the print industry relied on various small jobs, and the main chunk of their business came from annual reports. Still, as people turned more environment friendly, the well designed yearly reports of the past became obsolete as everyone preferred electronic communication.
The business was saved by real estate; the brochures, usually well designed and printed on glossy paper, typically cost the companies a hefty fee of around $60 a brochure. But for the real estate company, the brochure cost is only a speck in its canvas. A company that sells $45 million in property can more than afford to shell out $30,000 to $40,000 for its brochures.
Property developers don’t hesitate to spend the money. They need to make sure they are selling their condominium units before construction and bring in more customers, all of which will help them secure bank financing.
Since the real estate market is based on marketing, the promoters don’t hesitate to shell out extra for better paper or cardboard and various new printing techniques, even going so far as to use invisible ink and pop up designs.
Real estate brochures validate the clients who buy the condos and properties the promoters sell. They include a lot of information like the floor plans and other details, and hence the customer would refer to the brochure from time to time while the construction is still on.
The quality of these brochures could even compete with coffee table books. Promoters of penthouse apartments and luxury real estate hold nothing back when it comes to their printing options and thus keep the printers of Vancouver happy.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay